Snow Costs Louisville More Than $250,000

Louisville Metro Government spent about $257,000 clearing about a foot of snow from the city’s roadways last weekend. That has the Mayor’s office working to offset the costs in an already tight budget. Spokesperson Kerri Richardson says road salt was already paid for, but fuel and overtime costs will have to be reworked in the budget. But – she says – it’s just one small part of a larger budget crunch for the city.

“Fuel costs are going up, labor costs from the storm were significant, we have a lot of other elements we’re looking at in context with the storm coverage, so we’re looking at a lot of different ways we can pay these bills off. But I think people in Louisville would agree this is a project that is well worth the money,” said Richardson.

Months ago, the Mayor’s office projected a more than nine-million dollar shortfall in the city budget – and instituted a hiring freeze and other spending curbs. That shortfall is mostly due to lower-than-expected tax revenues.